This invention relates to the field of jack dollies used for transporting hydraulic automobile jacks and more particularly, a jack dolly having four pivotally connected and cooperating arm members with at least four wheels for transporting a hydraulic automobile jack from a first location to a second location.
Hydraulic automobile jacks are typically comprised of an elongate rectangular body with a pair of front wheels attached to a first end thereof and a pair of rear wheels attached to an opposing end thereof. An elongate cylindrical handle is attached to an internal hydraulic lift mechanism, which, upon pumping of the handle, raises a support plate from the rectangular body. A valve can be actuated to release the internal pressure generated by the pumping of the handle to lower the support plate. The front wheels are attached to the body by dedicated axles and thus rotate around the axles. The rear wheels comprise a caster assembly, wherein a bracket is pivotally attached at a first end to flanges located on opposing sidewalls of the jack body. The wheels rotate about an axle, which is disposed through a second end of said bracket. As such, the rotation of the front wheels allows the jack to be moved forward or backward in a straight linear motion but prevents the front end of the jack from being moved sideways. On the other hand, the rear wheels allow the rear end of the jack at which the handle is attached to be pivoted about the front wheels or otherwise to be moved in an arcuate motion. In this manner, the motion of the front end of the jack, which bears the full weight of a motor vehicle when supporting said vehicle, is restricted, thereby providing a degree of safety.
As the jack is designed to function as a stable lifting and support mechanism for motor vehicles, the front and rear wheels are fabricated of metal into a relatively small diameter, which provides the necessary strength and stability so that the wheels will not collapse or buckle under the weight of a motor vehicle. However, the features that allow the wheels of the jack to safely support the jack and a motor vehicle lifted by said jack prevent the jack from being easily transported over relatively long distances, such as across the floor of a shop, over a road or parking lot, or into a transport vehicle. The metal construction and relatively small diameter of the wheels, for instance, makes the jack susceptible to becoming stuck in small cavities, depressions, or ruts in the shop floor, road, or parking lot or the movement of the jack is obstructed by small stones, pebbles, or uneven or raised floor, road or parking lot sections. This situation is further exacerbated by the limited mobility of the jack due to the means of attaching the front and rear wheels as described earlier and the relatively heavy weight of a typical hydraulic automobile jack
What is needed then to overcome the difficulties and limitations of transporting a hydraulic automobile jack is the provision of a jack dolly onto which a hydraulic automobile jack can be releasably secured and then transported, moved, or otherwise wheeled about with significantly less effort and difficulty than that required for transport of said jack without said jack dolly.
Numerous designs for hydraulic automobile jack dollies and stands have been provided in the prior art. Even though these designs may be suitable for the specific individual purposes to which they address, they would not be suitable for the purposes of the present invention. These designs are exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 5,462,257, issued to Trowbridge on Oct. 31, 1995; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,199,826, issued to Nix on Mar. 13, 2001 and are intended primarily to allow a hydraulic automobile jack to be moved more efficiently while said jack is already positioned under a motor vehicle.
As such, it way be appreciated that there is a continuing need for a new and improved jack dolly that can be used to transport a hydraulic automobile jack over the floor of a shop, over a road or parking lot surface, or into a transport vehicle. In these respects, the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus that substantially fulfills this need. Additionally, the prior patents and commercial techniques do not suggest the present inventive combination of component elements arranged and configured as disclosed herein.
The present invention achieves its intended purposes, objects, and advantages through a new, useful and unobvious combination of method steps and component elements, with the use of a minimum number of functioning parts, at a reasonable cost to manufacture, and by employing only readily available materials.
The primary object of the present invention and advantages of the present invention is to provide a jack dolly onto which a hydraulic vehicle jack can be releasably secured and then transported, moved, or otherwise wheeled about with significantly less effort and difficulty than that required for transport of said jack.
A further object of the present invention to provide a low cost, easy to manufacture, and easy to market jack dolly for hydraulic vehicle jacks.
An even further object of the present invention is to provide an easy to use and versatile jack dolly for hydraulic automobile jacks.
The present invention fulfills the above and other objects by providing a jack dolly for transporting a hydraulic vehicle jack over the floor of a shop, over a road or parking lot surface, or into a transport vehicle. The jack dolly is comprised of two elongate rectangular front arm members and two elongate rectangular rear arm members with each front arm member pivotally attached at one end thereof to a cooperating end of a rear arm member by a rod that is disposed in apertures located at cooperating ends of the front and rear arm members. A cylindrical collar is located at the end of each front arm member opposite to the end attached to a rear arm member. A wheel fork is disposed in pivotal engagement within said collar, and an axle with a wheel rotatingly disposed on said axle is affixed to the lower end of the fork. A rod is medially attached in perpendicular relation to the inside surface of each front arm member, and springs are secured at one end thereof to said rod.
An axle with a wheel rotatingly disposed on said axle extends from the end of each rear arm member opposite to the end attached to a cooperating front arm member. A rectangular plate with rod affixed thereto is attached to the inside surface of each rear arm member adjacent to the axle thereof.
The jack dolly of the present invention receives and supports above a ground or floor support surface a conventional hydraulic vehicle jack, which is modified to be releasably secured to the jack dolly. The jack modification is comprised of a bore that is located at the top of the jack body and extends through the body of said jack and six rods attached in perpendicular relation to the exterior surface of opposed lateral sidewalls of the body of the jack. Three rods are attached to each sidewall.
The hydraulic vehicle jack is attached to the jack dolly by aligning the jack between the arm members and inserting the rod through the bore of the jack and through cooperating apertures at the ends of the front and rear arm members. Four springs are attached at a first end to the rods located on the front arm members and at a second end to rods located at the rear of the body of the jack. Two springs are attached at a first end to the rods extending from the plates attached to the rear arm members and at a second end to rods located at the middle of the jack body, and two springs are attached at a first end to said rods extending from the plates attached to the rear arm members and at a second end to the front rods located at the front of the jack body.
The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention should become even more readily apparent to those skilled in the art upon a reading of the following detailed description in conjunction with the drawings wherein there is shown and described illustrative embodiments of the invention.